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Plympton selectmen’s first meeting in ‘21

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Chair of the Plympton Board of Health Art Morin reported to selectmen at their first meeting of the new year to speak to the COVID situation in town. Morin said that the numbers that the Board of Health have been supplying to Dennehy come directly from MAVEN, the secure web-based surveillance and case management system for infectious diseases in Massachusetts. Morin told the selectmen Plympton saw its highest monthly total of 11 positive cases in December. He went on to say that as of that day there were 8 total cases for Plympton in MAVEN in January with another two not yet listed in the system reported. “That brings us to 10 and it’s only the eleventh of January,” Morin said. Morin also told the selectmen that he has “gone old school” using a hardcopy calendar to track cases per day as it is “foolproof.”

Morin also made a point of stating that he believes that most of the spikes in cases are coming from people gathering over the holidays rather than from establishments like grocery stores and even restaurants. Regarding spread of the virus, Morin said, “…that’s the fastest way to do it, groups in small spaces.”

Wilhelmsen, who serves as Chair of the Plympton School Committee, provided an update on COVID in the school district. The number of total cases throughout Silver Lake Regional District was 28 leading into the week of Christmas. According to Wilhelmsen, as of Monday’s meeting that number had climbed to 109.  While Dennett has been fortunate to have only a small number of cases, Wilhelmsen said, “but if the numbers keep climbing everywhere else, they’re going to climb there too.”

Chair of the Dennett C.A.S.A. (Community and School Association) Sarah Prario joined the Plympton selectmen during their Monday, Jan. 11 virtual meeting. The selectmen have recently started a new tradition of inviting a representative from a different town organization to each meeting to provide an update. Prario spoke about the challenges posed by the pandemic saying, “We haven’t been able to do pretty much anything that was on our usual schedule, but we are adapting as necessary.” Prario said that that they have been able to continue with their luncheons for staff which they have been attempting to hold every month. Prario said that some local businesses have been providing the funding as C.A.S.A. doesn’t feel it is an appropriate time to fundraise from families.

Currently, the C.A.S.A. meetings are being held virtually over ZOOM and attended by only five or so people. Prario said that once in-person meetings resume, she would like to maintain the ZOOM option for those who may be unable to attend in-person. Prario also told the selectmen that C.A.S.A. has recently been granted 501c3 status designating them as a nonprofit organization which enables them to receive contributions including grants. Prario said that the organization was eager to do fundraising for other areas within the community. “You guys do great work and you do really tangible work,” Selectmen Chair Mark Russo said. “We’re grateful to have such a great community,” Prario replied.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy provided an update on the town’s newest project – “What Makes Plympton Unique.” She said they kicked off the project that day on the town Facebook page highlighting the Plympton Kindness Tree. Several years ago, resident Stephani Teran and her son thought up the idea to have a tree on their property during the holiday season where community members could stop by and place kind sentiments about people or things in the town within a glass ornament and hang it from the tree. Writing utensils, paper, and ornaments are supplied as well as sanitizer this year. At the end of the holiday season, Teran would give a nice accounting of the things that were written. Dennehy will continue to highlight the things that make Plympton unique on the town Facebook page.

The selectmen then turned their attention to various priorities in town with Chair of the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen leading off the discussion. Wilhelmsen said that the Committee has been working with their consultant Beta Group to begin conceptualizing how best to use the space. They are working together to validate what can and cannot realistically be done. “Septic and water are always the things that limit us in town,” Wilhelmsen told the selectmen. The Committee is also working toward prioritizing what needs to be fixed right now versus what needs help in a year. Wilhelmsen said that by 2022 he expects tangible results from the work being done now.

Wilhelmsen delved into specific potential projects. He said that the Committee has removed the consideration for a municipal garage due to space constraints. The Committee plans to go to town meeting to ask for funds to replace the flagpole on the town green. The cistern on the town green is no longer holding water and is also on the Committee’s radar. Wilhelmsen also said that a roof assessment will eventually be done for both the Townhouse and the library. An inexpensive fix has been established for lighting concerns at the library though Wilhelmsen noted that a lighting consultant may want to be brought in at some point for a better solution.

Several items pertaining to the Highway Department were also discussed. Dennehy said she and Highway Superintendent Rob Firlotte had met earlier that day with the selected contractor for the highway barn roof and insulation project. Materials are being ordered for the work soon.

Russo said that the signs indicating the safety zones that were established by the selectmen per town meeting’s approval have been placed. Road painting indicating such will have to wait until the spring.

Finally, there was a brief discussion regarding procedures for removing brush and chips from trees that have been taken down. Firlotte feels that it doesn’t fall under the purview of the department.

Technology upgrades in town were also discussed. Dennehy said the fiber optic upgrade is in progress and that local government offices should expect to be updated in the next week. Dennehy said the only setback was a minor one locating the wiring in the library.

Selectman John Traynor said he had an agreement with the Fire Chief that street number signs would be installed on municipal buildings in town. He said that given the magnitude of the work currently on the Chief’s agenda, he assumes it will be done once COVID is over.

Russo spoke to another possible priority saying he would like to seek funds at town meeting to have a hydrologist come in to analyze Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reporting as well as compliance from Rocky Harvest LLC. Russo said, “it wouldn’t be a lot of money and there is a really good guy around who has done some work for us in the past.”

Dennehy gave an update on emergency management in town saying the hazard mitigation planning grant is still in process. The project meeting is set for the end of February. The end goal will be a stand-alone plan rather than a plan that was embedded in a larger regional one. This project was funded through grant money. Dennehy also gave a brief financial update saying that the budget process is well underway and that the Finance committee has been looking at the capital plan.

An update on elder affairs was also provided. Until recently, a volunteer was coming in two days per week to manage the pantry as paid for by Citizens for Citizens. The organization, however, made the decision that it was too risky to have volunteers going into the building due to the state of the pandemic. As a result, the Director of Elder Affairs will be managing the pantry on Thursdays from 10 am to noon.

Dennehy said that they are looking for a volunteer for Mondays. She said the hours are flexible but noted that the original hours were from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Dennehy also said that with the Townhouse closed, volunteers would not be near others. Prario offered to help secure a volunteer and assured the selectmen that she would find someone for this coming Monday.

It was also noted during Monday’s meeting that there would be a mailing going out to residents shortly to detail various volunteer opportunities in the community.

As always, the selectmen ended their meeting with their rants and raves. Selectwoman Christine Joy was quick to say that hers was a rant rather than a rave.

She began by saying how troubled she was by the deep divide in our country. She also said that while she doesn’t condone violence, she does understand the pain of many Americans whether it be based in racial injustice, the pandemic, or frustration at the government.

Joy said, “For me, Wednesday and the summer protests have really served as a wake-up call and the need for us to stop talking at one another and start talking to one another. Instead of pushing further apart, we should be working to find common ground; this will only be accomplished through freedom of speech, the sharing of ideas, and spirited debate through open dialogue – talking and listening with tolerance and compassion. We are all Americans and as such are capable of working together to make our union stronger than before.

We need to stop the rhetoric and name calling, stop the vilifying of those that don’t agree with us – start seeing each other as individuals, as fellow Americans not defined by our political ideals. It is the diversity of our people and ideals that give us strength. Through true collaboration we can rise above this and work together to rebuild our United States of America.”

“Amen, amen,” Russo said before adjourning the meeting.

Halifax honored for water system excellence

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HALIFAX – Keith Swanson, Halifax Water Superintendent, was recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Drinking Water Program for outstanding performance in 2019.

The Halifax water system achieved one of the top compliance scores in the Medium and Large Community System category of the 2020 Public Water System Awards Program.

“MassDEP realizes that it is no easy task to keep up with the ever-evolving federal and state drinking water regulations.  Your compliance efforts have not gone unnoticed,” the letter accompanying the certificate stated.

Swanson, who has been Halifax’s Water Superintendent for the past seven years, told The Express that his job has many facets, with a major portion of his time devoted to testing and communicating those results to the state and federal government by monthly and annual reports to ensure that Halifax’s water is safe and healthy to drink.

“We check for asbestos, chlorine, haloacetic acids, inorganics, lead and copper, nitrate, nitrite, manganese, perchlorate, radium 226-228, plus much more,” Swanson said.

Halifax water is pumped from four wells, Swanson told us, and what is not used in the system on its way to the tank is stored in the tall blue tank behind the Town Hall.

Swanson also takes care of the filtration plant on Plymouth Street where the water is filtered, the Ph adjusted, and disinfected, before going on to the faucet or water tank.

He has been a member of the Water Department for 26 years, serving as its superintendent for the past seven years.

Davis named to Regional School Committee

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The Kingston Board of Selectmen and the Silver Lake Regional School Committee held a joint meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 6 in order to appoint a new member to the Regional School Committee following a resignation of one of the Kingston members. The appointment would be good through the next election in April. While the selectmen were in-person, the School Committee as well as the applicants attended the meeting via Zoom.

Selectwoman Kimberley Emberg  began by saying they would hear from each of the five candidates before moving forward with a vote. Members of the Regional School Committee in attendance included Eric Crone, Christopher Eklund, Leslie-Ann McGee, and Paula Hatch. The five applicants were Anne Caliento, Missy Bateman, Emily Davis, Carl Pike, and Sheila Vaughn. Vaughn, who is a current member of the Kingston selectmen abstained from voting.

Bateman, who has been an educator for over 20 years, spoke first saying she was a lifelong resident of Kingston and a graduate of Silver Lake. She has two children in the district and currently serves on a recreation board as well as a local hockey board. Bateman said that she felt that her standing as both an educator and a parent would allow her to bring a sense of empathy and understanding to the Committee. She also said she was up to the challenge of serving despite the difficult times.

Caliento, whose parents were both teachers, said she has been a Kingston resident for 20 years and currently has a daughter in the 10th grade in the district. She told those assembled that she had contemplated running for School Committee for years but always determined herself to be too busy. “If anything the last year gave me the realization that I do have the time…it’s important to make the time for things that are important,” Caliento explained. She also said that she volunteered frequently in the schools when her daughter was younger and was hoping to become involved again.

Davis told the Committee that she moved to Kingston a few years ago from Pembroke. Both she and her husband have worked in education for many years. While no longer working as a teacher, Davis has stayed in the education field working on curriculum design online.

While originally from the South Shore, Davis said she has traveled all over both the country and the world working in various schools. She currently has a son in preschool and a daughter in first grade in Kingston schools.

“I love the school district here, it’s why I moved to Kingston,” Davis explained. She continued, “I think Silver Lake really has an opportunity to be at the forefront in education in Massachusetts.” Davis cited the regional nature of the district as well as the vocational education offered as the reasons she believes Silver Lake can be a leader in what she sees as a turning point in education.

Carl Pike began his statement saying, “I’m sure that you probably all have had a chance to look at the letter I sent in with my background and my beliefs and why I feel I would qualify for this position.” Pike said he has been active in the town working closely with the school administration and school committees on the budget. “I really believe that education is the number one responsibility of local communities… at the same time there are limited resources,” Pike explained. He went on to stress the importance of compromise when creating a budget saying, “school committee members need to be objective” and “what I strive for is to see that everybody gets something out of the deal.”

Vaughn, who currently serves on both the Kingston Board of Selectmen and the Kingston School Committee, was the final applicant. Vaughn, who has been a Kingston resident for over two decades, has three children including a fifth and eighth grader in the district. She said she would view the appointment as lasting only until the election in April.

“Once there is an election, I would be happy to see one of these wonderful people elected to the position,” she explained. She said that she felt that given the difficulties posed by both budget season and the pandemic, it would be best to have a seasoned person fill the role in the interim.

Vice Chair of the Regional School Committee Eric Crone addressed all the candidates prior to the vote saying, “I just want to say thank you to all five of these candidates; it’s overwhelming that we have this many people willing to step up and help out.” He went on to praise the backgrounds of the candidates and said that any of them would be a great addition to the current Committee.

Committee member Leslie-Anne McGee also spoke saying, “it’s been an exceptionally challenging time for us… it’s extremely complicated and I don’t think it’s going to be less complicated for any time now.”

She echoed Crone’s sentiment saying how impressed she was that so many people were willing to come forward to serve during such a challenging time.

An anonymous vote was held resulting in Davis receiving the highest number of votes. Both the selectmen and the School Committee made separate motions to appoint Davis to the Committee. The votes were both unanimous with the exception of Vaughn’s abstention.

HES to stay open though Halifax is red

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The Halifax Elementary School Committee held their first meeting of 2021 virtually on Monday, Jan. 4.  Superintendent Jill Proulx said that the town of Halifax has been in the red risk zone for COVID-19 for four consecutive weeks. Initial guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) stated that communities in the red should move to remote learning. It was later changed to state that communities in the red for three consecutive weeks should move to remote.

The most recent guidance issued in late October recommended that communities remain in either a hybrid or full in-person learning model regardless of risk designation provided there wasn’t evidence of in-school transmission.

Proulx said that there has not been any evidence of school spread and said that the school administration has been in contact with all necessary parties regarding Halifax’s numbers. She also said that the district’s nurse leader has increased the frequency of her communication with the Board of Health providing them with daily updates. School Committee Chair Gordon Andrews said, “I know that any decisions made are always made with the best interests of those in the community in mind.”

Proulx also provided an update on student learning time in the hybrid model. Per DESE’s standards, schools in the hybrid learning model must provide an average of 35 hours of live instruction over the course of two academic weeks. Proulx said that all Silver Lake and Union 31 schools have cleared the standard.

Halifax Elementary School principal Kayne Beaudry provided an update for the Committee. According to Beaudry, enrollment currently stands at 572 students. Cohorts A and B have a nearly even distribution of students. Enrollment in Cohort C, or the fully remote cohort, has been reduced from approximately 100 to 85. “Teachers are doing a great job adapting and being flexible,” Beaudry said.

Beaudry had high praise for the virtual winter concert organized by music teacher Brenda Lessard. A recording of the chorus’ performance was made available. “If you have not seen them, check it out, it was pretty amazing what she was able to pull off with the students,” Beaudry said of Lessard. Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch nodded vigorously in agreement.

Beaudry told the Committee that two esteemed members of the cafeteria department retired on December 23. Between the two of them, the retirees had over 50 years of experience working there. “We will miss them,” he said. He also gave a shoutout to everyone that contributes to the giving tree at the school which provides hats and mittens to the Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless.

Each of the standing committees that have had a meeting since the last School Committee meeting provided an update. Committee member Summer Schmaling read from an email from Halifax Youth and Recreation Director Richard Steele. Steele reported that the Halifax Elementary School gym has been used for the last two months for basketball practices only. As of the week beginning January 4, town basketball will also be held in the gym. Steele reported that the gym was one of the only ones open in the area. Schmaling expressed her gratitude for children being allowed to play sports in town. “Shoutout to Youth and Rec for making sure that happens because it’s really important to a lot of our families,” she said. The gym floor was also recently refinished.

The PTO last met on December 2. Due to cancelled field trips and other events the PTO has a surplus of money that they are looking to allocate. For this reason, Beaudry said that teachers should submit any wish list items to them. The PTO recently held a teacher appreciation luncheon. Participation in the recent book fair was down, but it was anticipated due to the unusual circumstances.

Proulx presented a first draft of the budget proposal for 2021 to 2022. The draft which was shared with members of the Committee represented a 3.41 percent increase in the regular day operating budget as well as a 5.13 percent increase overall. Principals were asked to prepare a level service budget as well as a capital plan that included input from staff. The budget presented by Proulx did not include Beaudry’s staffing requests nor did it include the current staffing for the hybrid model. Proulx said that shared costs were not yet included and said that she anticipated that the addition would increase the budget.

The budget includes an increase in custodial supplies as the need for continued increased cleaning is anticipated. It also includes $5,000 for a shed. The Special Education reimbursement program Circuit Breaker was factored in at 55 percent, a number that is likely conservative. Proulx also said that the budget accounted for five slots in the out of district vocational tuition line though there are currently four students enrolled, three of which will be graduating. The actual number remains to be seen.

The overall enrollment numbers are down while homeschool numbers have increased. Student enrollment at Halifax Elementary School is down by 17 from 2020 to 2021. Halifax student enrollment at the middle and high school levels is down 5 students.

Andrews requested that the school make regular videos to showcase the work being done by the students and teachers as a way to show the taxpayers where their money is going. “There is a great return on investment,” Andrews said. Andrews referenced the presentation to the Committee by the students in the Pathways program for 18-22-year-olds that included a video of their recent work. “It made me feel good and gave me a reason to want to be on the School Committee,” he explained.

Andrews told the Committee that he wanted to acknowledge the great work done by Facilities Manager Matthew Durkee, Head Custodian Bob Clancy, and Director of Building Maintenance Scott Materna in getting the backflow device at the school fixed after the recent snowstorm. Without the quick fix, the school would not have been able to open. Durkee, who was on the call, also acknowledged the assistance they received from various local companies including City Point Fire Protection, Inc., John Hoadley Plumbing & Heating, Inc., and FW Webb. “The group really pulled together and was able to accomplish this… kudos to all involved,” Durkee said. He also thanked Halifax Board of Health agent Bob Valery who he said was instrumental in getting things up and running. Andrews said that the Committee would be sending letters of thanks to those involved. “I know how long and hard you guys worked to try and get a solution into place,” he said.

COVID-19 spike mandates changes in Plympton

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January 4, 2021

To the Residents of Plympton:

We hope this letter finds you well. We are writing to inform you that due to the continuing increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Town and our positive test rate percentage doubling over a matter of days, we are enacting the following protocols:

Town House and Council on Aging:

The Plympton Town House will remain closed to in-person business and we will continue conducting business remotely, as we successfully accomplished throughout the Spring of 2020 and in recent weeks. We have set a tentative date of Monday, February 1, 2021 to re-open for in-person business as usual. This date was selected after careful consideration of Plympton’s positive test rate percentage, statistics available to us from the MA Department of Public Health and in anticipation of a second surge in the upcoming two weeks.

All Town offices will be fully available to conduct business remotely via Email and/or telephone during this timeframe. Email and telephone messages will be checked daily. If you need to deliver something to the Town House, you can send it by mail to the respective Department, 5 Palmer Road, Plympton, MA 02367 or you can utilize the drop boxes on the outside of the Town House by the main entrance for payments or dropping off paperwork. The drop boxes on the exterior of the building are checked frequently throughout the week, so you can feel comfortable making use of this resource.

The Council on Aging pantry will continue to be available to seniors on Mondays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., however, the public will not be able to enter the pantry directly; if you come to the Town House during the respective timeframe, bags will be prepared and brought out to your vehicle or handed to you at the entryway of the building.

Our Inspectional Services Department (Building, Wiring, Plumbing/Gas, Zoning) will continue to be available by appointment for any of your needs. Please Email: buildingadmin@plymptontown.org or contact them by phone: (781) 585-0571 to set up an appointment and/or if you have any questions.

Christmas Advent windows in Plympton, UK

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PLYMPTON, UK – Celebrating Christmas while staying safe was a real challenge for people around the world.   Express friend and contributor Charmaine Evans sent photos of their celebration showing their village “Advent Windows”.  Each day during the Advent, another window in the village was revealed.  See more of these works of art and Charmaine’s story on Page 12.

State honors Shirley Graf

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Founder and Executive Director of Keep Massachusetts Beautiful (KMB) Neil Rhein led off the 2020 Massachusetts Clean Community Awards which was held virtually on December 3. Rhein, who also serves on the Select Board in Mansfield, explained the mission of the nonprofit organization KMB. Goals of the organization include litter prevention and cleanup, volunteer empowerment, recycling and waste reduction, beautification and community greening, and education and behavior change.

There are currently 28 local chapters of KMB around the state. The five newest chapters include Newton, Salem, Beverly, Shrewsbury, and Fitchburg. Rhein also thanked the local chapter leaders including Jeanne Kling of the Halifax Beautification Committee. He also noted that 23 of the 28 chapter leaders are women. Some of the highlights of the organization from the last year include distributing litter cleanup kits to local chapters in the spring of 2020, launching the litter cleanup crew in July, and distributing $2,500 via the annual plant something beautiful grants.

Rhein announced the night’s award winners including Shirley Graf of Halifax being named the KMB Litter Buster of the Year. Rhein described the award as being the most coveted of the night and said that they had nine deserving nominees that year. He described the award saying, “It’s really for those unsung heroes who are out there doing the dirty work of cleaning up other people’s messes.” He said that what set Graf apart from the other amazing litter busters is “her passion for the scourge of nip litter.”

Beginning in January of 2019, Graf made a decision to begin documenting the nip bottles she collected into a spreadsheet. As of October 2020, she had collected and stored 5,220 bottles over the course of 20 months. Graf donated those bottles to the Keep Gardner Beautiful Nip Hunt. Another of the night’s awards winners Jim Kraskouskas of Anthony’s Liquor Mart in Gardner, won for KMB Business Partner of the Year. Kraskouskas organized a nip pickup in October where he offered to pay 5 cents for every bottle picked up through 100,000 bottles. As a result of those collected nips, including the ones donated by Graf, Kraskouskas donated nearly $2,500.

In the last few weeks alone, Graf has collected an additional 700 nip bottles. As of early December, she said she had reached 6,018 total nips collected with more than 3,000 of those collected within a mile of her home. In addition to the nips that Graf collects she also picks up other forms of trash across the towns of Halifax, Pembroke, Duxbury, and Marshfield. Graf also helped to persuade the Halifax Board of Selectmen to support Massachusetts House Bill 2881 which would add nips to the bottle bill. While it didn’t pass, the hope is that it will be resurrected in January.

Graf spoke at the awards ceremony taking the time to thank Kling who was the one to nominate her. “I would particularly like to thank Jeanne Kling, the Chairwoman of the Beautification Committee who nominated me for this award.” Kling said of Graf, “It has been a pleasure to get to know Shirley over the last few years. She always has a smile and an encouraging word. She truly inspires others through her actions; it’s hard to imagine a more admirable or deserving candidate.” Graf thanked both the Monponsett Watershed Association and the Halifax Beautification Committee for their work to promote cleaner roadways and waterways.

Graf said that she first learned more about KMB through a chance encounter with the previous year’s Litter Buster of the Year award winner, Peter Walter.  Graf said that she randomly ran into Walter while he was also out and about picking up litter. Walter spoke and thanked Rhein and KMB for their efforts.

In addition to the Litter Buster of the Year, several other awards were also given out. Senator Jamie Eldridge of the Middlesex and Worcester district was named as the Environmental Legislator of the Year. He is the Senate Chair of the Clean Energy Caucus and has sponsored several bills to increase the use of solar energy and other renewable energies. Fellow state senator Paul Feeney called Eldridge an “unapologetic advocate for bold legislation.” The Municipal Partner of the Year was awarded to Doug Munroe of the Gardner DPW. Nancy Wall of Keep Mansfield Beautiful was awarded the Chapter Leader of the Year award. Rookie Chapter of the Year went to Keep Fitchburg Beautiful.

The final award of the night for the KMB Youth Volunteers of the Year went to Nate Lord and Ben Feldman of Natick. Rhein explained that this was a new award this year and said that one of the goals of the KMB is to inspire future generations. “The median age of our volunteers is probably not within Gen Z or even Millennials,” Rhein explained.

Senator Feeney also spoke about the importance of getting the younger generations involved. Feeney said that he was recently on a Zoom call for a public hearing in the community he represents. “The crux of the debate was about the protection of a beautiful swath of open space… hiking trails and hundred-year-old trees that are filled with wildlife,” Feeney explained. He said that over 20 high school students from an agricultural school were there to testify. He said that over the course of the hearing, the students began to change their backgrounds to images of Dr. Suess’ The Lorax, a story which tells of the danger of human destruction on the environment.

Democratic Presidential Nominee and former Governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991 Michael Dukakis also spoke at the event. Dukakis said that he first become interested in community cleanup due to the state of the city of Boston when he first became involved in politics. He described Boston as “filthy” and said “litter was everywhere.” Dukakis, who said he turned 87 on Election Day, recently retired from teaching at Northeastern University. He said that he would walk home from his job at Northeastern and pickup litter daily. “I pick up litter, I hope you pick up litter, I hope everyone picks up litter,” he said.

Dukakis shared a sentiment that had been expressed by others over the course of the night. He said he was concerned with the degree of seriousness with which the state government is appearing to take the issue of community cleanup. He ended by saying, “What’s this all about? A sense of pride, a sense of caring, a sense of how we make our communities something that we can be proud of.”

A website and several social media accounts exist for KMB including Keepmassbeautiful.org. Emails can be sent to info@keepmassbeautiful.org.

Halifax now at “double red”

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, Dec. 22, for one of the special meetings they have been holding during the COVID period. Normally, Police Chief Joao Chaves, Fire Chief Jason Viveiros, and Board of Health Agent Bob Valery are all present but only Viveiros was in attendance for much of the meeting.

Viveiros provided a COVID update saying that while he didn’t have the accurate counts, the town was averaging between 2 and 5 new cases per day. Town Administrator Charlie Seelig jumped in to say that the town was “double red.” “If red is 25 cases over a 14-day period, we’re now at 53 or 54 cases,” he explained. Seelig also said that a colleague had reached out to others in surrounding communities who all confirmed that they were seeing similar jumps in the numbers. “It’s not unique to Halifax; there are very, very few cases where you can point to and say this is the cause,” he continued. He recommended that people go back to the basics of washing their hands, wearing masks, and reducing the number of contacts they have.

Viveiros said they have been working on the vaccination rollout for first responders. “We’re working with our medical director Dr. Muse working through the hospital; he’s making a submission on behalf of twelve different departments, we’ll be one of those twelve departments,” he explained. Viveiros said that all vaccines will be shipped to Brockton Hospital so that they can store them at the required temperatures. He also said that once ready to begin vaccinating the Department can go and pick up the vaccines. The vaccine will most likely be the Moderna vaccine. They are hopeful that vaccinations will begin the second week of January. Viveiros said that they have not heard much regarding a widescale distribution plan for the vaccine.

Valery returned for the final minutes of the meeting following a conference call with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Valery told the Board that the flu shot deadline for students that had previously been set at Dec. 31 has now been extended until Feb. 28. “I just urge that people follow the guidelines that are on Mass.gov when it comes to your home gatherings,” Valery said. He told the Board that nearly half of all positive cases come from household spreads.

Seelig touched upon the new state restrictions effective December 26 including reduced capacity for office spaces, etc. to 25 percent of capacity with the exception of those performing essential functions including K-12 schools. Seelig said that the town hall and other municipal buildings have been considered essential. He also suggested that the Board consider asking departments to go to staggered shifts to try to reduce the possibility of transmission, particularly now that the laptops are available for individuals to work from home. “Thinking that everybody is an essential employee and I would leave it up to the individual departments to present a plan as to how they would like to move forward,” Selectman Chair Tom Millias said. Selectman Troy Garron said he was in agreement. “I think if the department head can handle their staff to get the job done, then that’s fine,” Selectman Gordon Andrews said. “I think that we need to keep the town hall open to allow residents to get their business done,” he added.

Seelig also said that indoor event venues are limited to 10 people though he noted he was unclear as to whether or not the Board of Selectman meetings would fall under that umbrella. He asked the Board what decision they would like to make regarding continuing to meet in person. Seelig pointed out that most boards and committees in town have been meeting virtually. They decided to remain in person for the short-term.

Seelig told the Board that during the Thursday, December 17 storm the backflow regulator at the Halifax Elementary School failed. The staff, including Facilities Director Matt Durkee, Bob Clancy, and Halifax Maintenance Director Scott Materna were able to put something together to allow the school to reopen on Friday. “The decision that we made to have Scott be able to work over at the school and direct functions there and also obviously take advantage of his expertise and being able to compensate him properly for his expertise made a big difference in terms of being able to open the school or not open the school,” Seelig said. Andrews, who also serves as Chair of the Halifax School Committee, said that he plans to invite both Durkee and Materna to the School Committee meeting in January to thank them for their extra time and efforts to ensure that the school could open.

Rep. LaNatra announces new Cordage office location Cord

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State Representative Kathy LaNatra, of the 12th Plymouth District announced that she will have a new district office, located in Cordage Park in Plymouth. She will share the office with State Senator Susan Moran.

The office will be used to meet with constituents, various organizations in the District, as well as provide a place for the Representative and her staff to work. Anyone who would like to meet with Rep. LaNatra at her district office location can reach out to her office and set up a time. At the beginning of the new

Plympton Selectmen meet for final time in 2020 2020

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In keeping with the new tradition of having a different representative from a Board, Committee, Commission, or otherwise attend the Plympton Board of Selectmen meetings, Alan Wheelock was in attendance on Monday, December 21 on behalf of the Wage and Personnel Board.  Wheelock told the selectmen that they were impacted by COVID and didn’t meet at all over the summer.

He also provided a number of updates. Wheelock said that the federal government was recommending a 1.3 percent cost of living guideline this year. The Wage and Personnel Board plan to vote on that increase during their first meeting in January. Wheelock also told the selectmen that the Board had a request from Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy asking them to support her on a probationary period bylaw. The proposed bylaw would state that newly hired or promoted town employees would be subjected to a 6-month probationary period. Selectman John Traynor interjected that he believed the intent was to modify the request not to include those newly promoted that had been with the town a substantial amount of time already. Wheelock said that he was open to such an amendment.

Wheelock also said that the Board was taking a look at the wage and personnel bylaws in Plympton since they haven’t been updated in quite some time. He said that they were hoping to have a few recommendations to bring to the spring town meeting.  The Board also had an intern from Bridgewater State University who assisted with some of the data that the Board uses. Finally, Wheelock said the Board was looking to find a location on the town website to store the paperwork related to wage and personnel.

Plympton School Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen provided a brief update on the schools. He said that two additional cases of COVID were reported at the Dennett Elementary School over the weekend, bringing the overall total for the school to 3. There has been a total of 61 cases throughout the Silver Lake district. Wilhelmsen noted that the holiday break will be a welcome one for the staff and teachers who have been working so hard throughout this unusual year.

Several appointments were also made during Monday’s meeting. Gabe Lundgren was named to the Board of Registrars through May 22, 2021. Miranda Boyles-Pink and Kathleen Keirstead were both appointed as trustees to the Plympton Public Library through May 22, 2021. There was also an appointment to the Central Plymouth County Water District Commission Advisory Board.

Dennehy introduced a new initiative for 2021 described as “what makes Plympton unique.” Dennehy said that the original intention was to talk a bit about knowing where your food comes from and highlight the many remarkable farms in town that provide for people all over the South Shore. Dennehy described the project as “fun” and “feel good” and said that the idea has since morphed into picking a different topic in town on a regular basis to highlight on the town Facebook page. She said the intention would be to “show what makes us unique and a really great place to be.”

Dennehy said she would potentially like to start with the Plympton kindness tree that has been setup over the holiday season on a Farm on West St. The idea of the tree is that residents can stop by and write something positive about something or someone in town and enclose it in a globe ornament that is hanging from the tree. Dennehy said that hand sanitizer, etc. was provided by the family. Traynor mentioned another project in town along the same vein. He said that he was recently the recipient of a holiday wreath courtesy of some members of the Garden Club who delivered over 90 wreaths to seniors in town.

Dennehy also provided a general update. She said she had just attended the Finance Committee meeting and said that while things do appear to be on track overall there are some shortfalls in the police salary lines moving forward. A member of the department is retiring somewhat unexpectedly resulting in the need to pay out overtime and out of rank pay to covering officers.

Dennehy noted that the town has retention issues within the Police Department. She said that many officers have cited the health insurance, which is a 50/50 split, as a reason for leaving. She said that she is currently surveying other towns as to their insurance and obtaining pricing. Selectman Chair Mark Russo said that he agreed with Dennehy’s assessment and referenced the hidden cost of losing people and training new people.

The town is often footing the bill for putting officers through the academy only to have them leave shortly thereafter. Traynor mentioned that some towns mandate that an officer must stay in the department for three years or pay back a portion of the expense for the academy.

Regarding COVID, Dennehy said that the numbers continue to rise in town and everywhere. She said that while it can be challenging to tell if cases have cleared or not through the MAVEN system, her best estimate for number of active cases in town stands at 20. “It’s out there and it’s around; it’s in town,” Dennehy said. She said that the decision to dial things back at the townhouse appears to have been the right one. She also alluded to employees becoming too lax and said of the closing, “it’s a good chance to reevaluate some of our protocols.”

Christine Joy was absent from Monday’s meeting so just Russo and Traynor provided their traditional raves at the conclusion of the meeting. Russo said that his rave was for the holiday season despite acknowledging that it would be “strange if not downright weird.” “I’m really looking forward to that time when things slow down a little and we all gain a little perspective… to give our minds a little rest but also to give our hearts a little rest,” Russo explained.

Traynor had three separate shoutouts. The first was for the Police Department for their new website that went live recently. “It really looks good and I’m happy to see it,” he said. The second was for the Fire Department. They were awarded a grant that allowed them to install fire signs for any seniors in town that wanted them. Traynor said that 24 residents signed up. His final rave was for the good condition of the roads in town after the snowstorm.